This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-105876 filed on Apr. 4, 2001.
The present invention relates to a product development system, which may be used in designing and manufacturing cars.
Various products are designed and manufactured through joint work among a final product manufacturer and many part suppliers. In designing and manufacturing cars for instance, a process of tuning the values of matching data used for control in accordance with the characteristic of each engine or car is contained in the development of a power train control system for cars, and this process is called as matching process. Alteration/adjustment of various numerical values in conformity with the inherent properties of each engine is called as matching, and technical experts who perform this work are called as matching experts. The values to be adjusted are called as matching data.
As shown in FIG. 10, the matching process comprises (1) a control specification development process 100, (2) a software development process 200 and (3) a matching process 300, and these steps are repetitively carried out to adjust matching data and determine matching data which are finally used by an electronic control unit (ECU) for a product car. Generally, the control specification development process and the matching process 300 are performed in a car manufacturer, while the software development process 200 is performed in an ECU supplier. Accordingly, the matching process accounts for high percent in the power train control system development process.
Specifically, a control specification developer inputs matching data into a sheets of spreadsheet software or the like while referring to past matching data to generate a matching data table (control specification) as shown in FIG. 11. The matching data thus achieved are printed on a sheet or recorded in a recording medium in a data format inherent to the spreadsheet software, for example, in Excel format (S300). Subsequently, the control specification developer delivers the sheet thus printed or the recording medium to a software developer.
When the matching data are supplied in the form of a sheet, the software developer inputs the data printed on the sheet in a text format by using a keyboard or the like so that the data can be inserted into software to be developed, whereby the data are inserted into the software. On the other hand, when the data are supplied in the form of a recording medium, the format inherent to the spreadsheet software recorded in the recording medium is converted to a CSV file by using a conversion tool on a computer (S310), converted in the text format and inserted into software to be developed, for example, described in C language (S320). Thereafter, the software generated is recorded in a recording medium and delivered to a matching expert.
The matching expert converts the matching data inserted in the software recorded in the recording medium to data having a data format, for example, ASAP format so that the matching data can be read out by a matching tool in a computer or a dedicated device (S330), input to the matching tool of the computer or the dedicated device, and adjust the matching data while operating a car or engine (S340). Then, the matching expert determines whether the operation state of the car or engine based on the matching data reaches a target value or not. If it reaches the target value (S350:YES), the matching process is completed and shifted to a next step. On the other hand, if tuning is further needed (S350:NO), the adjusted matching data are converted in the format of the matching data table, recorded in a recording medium and delivered to the control specification developer. That is, the process returns to the step of S300.
For example, when matching of a fuel injection amount as a specific example of the matching process is considered, the above steps are repetitively carried out until matching data such as an injection amount at starting, an injection amount after starting, a fuel cut-off return correction value, etc. out of injection amounts matched with the characteristics of an engine reach target values of fuel, an exhaust gas restrain value, etc. In this case, it is required to set respective matching data in accordance with each of conditions such as engine cooling water temperature, etc. That is, the matching data must be set in accordance with various control targets and various conditions, and many kinds of data must be delivered among these researchers at many times.
However, such matching data are tuned in the matching step, and then fed back to the control specification development step. This development loop is repeated many times. Further, the matching data are needed to be set in accordance with various control targets and various conditions. Therefore, if the data are manually input through a keyboard or the like, the development efficiency would be remarkably low. It may occur that an incorrect control specification or software would be prepared due to an input mistake. Further, even when a conversion tool is used, the development efficiency would be low if data conversion is carried out every step. Besides, the data format is usually different among manufacturers and the developer must use a conversion tool (converter) which is in conformity with each data format of matching data received in the previous step. When the data format is different among manufacturers, the development and maintenance of conversion tools are required to be individually performed every data format.
The present invention therefore has an object to provide a product development system which can enhance the working efficiency of a matching process and shorten a development term.
According to the present invention, matching data having an application-inherent format which are generated by the respective applications of a control specification development system, a control program development system and a matching system are stored in a common format in a storage means. Further, the matching data thus stored in the common format are retrieved in an application-inherent format from any of the control specification development system, the control program development system and the matching system.
Accordingly, a developer (technical expert) using each system can handle matching data with paying no attention to which format the application-inherent format corresponds. The common format may be XML or the like as a format with which data can be associated with one another through a link, whereby respective matching data or both of matching data and other data can be easily stored in correlation with one another.
Preferably, in response to a request from each system through a network, attendant data to matching data of the common format are stored in correlation with the matching data, and the attendant data thus stored are transmitted in response to a request from each system. At this time, the attendant data may be transmitted in the common format, or converted in an application-inherent format of a system making the request through conversion means and then transmitted.
As the attendant data, information which can serve as a technological basis of the matching data is used. As such information may be used a logical equation needed to actuate an engine, a manner of reducing the equation to a logic which can be implemented by a commercially-usable microcomputer control device, a matching method when a theoretical estimation cannot be performed, etc. In the matching process, matching data for controlling a device using chemical reactions such as an engine is adapted, so that a large amount of theoretical estimation is not implemented. Accordingly, the know-how of such a matching work is accumulated as a developer""s know-how. However, the matching data and the know-how can be stored in correlation with each other.
A restriction value of the matching data according to is considered as an example of such attendant data. That is, for a prototype engine or car produced at the stage of the development, an experienced technical expert carries out a matching work so that the prototype engine or car is not broken down because it is very expensive. However, if such a restriction value is stored in association matching data and the matching data are stored based on the restriction value, the break-down of the prototype engine or the like can be surely prevented. Storing the matching data in the storage means based on the restriction value means, for example, a case where the restriction value is stored in correlation with the matching data. At the transmission time of the matching data, the matching data are added with the restriction value and then transmitted to each system to thereby inform the restriction value to the developer of each system.
Thus, the matching data based on the restriction value are input and stored, a case where when the matching data are stored in the storage means, the conversion means or the storage means checks whether the matching data exceeds the restriction value. If it exceeds the restriction value, the matching data is automatically converted within the restriction value and stored, a case where if the matching data exceeds the restriction value, a warning is transmitted to a transmission source system so that each system makes a correction, etc.
Progress information may be contained as an example of the attendant data. The progress information is information containing the rate of advance in the matching process. The rate of completion may be stored as progress information every time the work of each step is completed. Although the developments in the prior art have been made while shared into respective parts of the control specification development, the developer of each step can easily grasp the progress.